When Powerful Rise
by Cherry Hitachiin
Summary: In the 75th Quarter Quell, the gamemakers sent out a monster that killed everyone except Finnick Odair. It is now 25 years later and the 100th Quarter Quell. Our main character and her best friend are chosen to be this year's District 10's tributes. What will happen when she falls in love with a tribute from District 4. What will happen to her twin sister? R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

It was that day. The day when some of our lives get turned upside down while others remain the same. Some lose family. Some lose friends. No one knows who it will be, but only that there are two chosen. Today is the day of the Reaping.

My name is Blythe. Blythe Amaryllis. I'm 17, and I live with my twin sister, Crystal. We are from District 10 in the country of Panem. We were separated from our parents by a fire when we were 12. Some of the people wanted us to go live in an orphanage, but one woman stood up and said that she would like to take care of us. Her name is Nerilla. Everyone knows who she is, she is the wife of our mayor. She said that she was unable to have any children of her own, so we were the next best thing. That's where our trouble started.

She was so kind to us, but her husband wasn't. The mayor always put on a show for others, but when he was at home, he was very different. He used to beat us whenever mother wasn't around. One day, mother found out and sent us to live in a house by ourselves. At first, we thought that she had abandoned us. We soon found out what happened in a letter she sent us. She said that she sent us there to get us away from our father. She would've divorced him, but then there would be no way she could have taken care of us, and the orphanage would have taken us away from her. She said we were never to come back to our house, or he might hurt us again. She would send us some money at certain periods in time, but until then we had to get some jobs.

We were scared that father might find out, so we got jobs under different names. To everyone else we are Baker and Cassie. Crystal works at our cities pond. That is where we raise all of the waterfowl that the Capitol requires. I get to work with the horses. Some are sent to the Capitol to be used in the Hunger Games, some are sent to be pets for their citizens, while others are sent to different districts to help with their work. I hate to think of those poor, beautiful animals being beaten with whips, doing manual labor for the Capitol.

There is an extra reason I love coming to work. My best friend, Heath, works with me. Before you ask, no, I do NOT love Heath. Heath is a little different than most of the men we work with. He is extremely funny, dramatic, and sincere.

Work is also fun because one of the things we are allowed to do, is ride the horses. The one I'm riding now is my favorite. She is a yellow horse with a red main and tail. Her name is Butterfly because, when she was born, whenever she whinnied, all of the butterflies around us would start to stir. I've raised her since she was a baby. "Hey, Baker, get over here!" There he goes again, that lazy good-for-nothing.

"I'm coming! Let's go, girl. Heath." With that, she takes off like a bullet. She heads straight for him. She knows both our voices and names by heart, so whenever we say the others name, she runs there as fast as she can. "Hey, Heath, watcha need?"

"Is the extremely talented, manly, Baker no-last-name, actually talking to me? My girlfriends will just about die when I tell them." He then makes a fainting motion, and I punch his arm. "What? It's not my fault they all fall for your manliness. Really, the only reason I know you're a girl, is because you told me. I was skeptical even then. Your sister is the one who convinced me."

It was actually really funny and embarrassing. After I told him, he kept saying that I was a liar, and that he needed proof. My sister came up and jumped on my back, since her work was done, and it was time to go home for the day. When I finally got her off of me, I realized that she had torn off my shirt. I screamed, and she gave it back to me. She looked at Heath and asked if that was enough proof for him. He shrugged his shoulders and reluctantly agreed. "Really, you have the flattest chest I have ever seen. Granted, you wrap it up to look more like a guy, but you don't even have to do it that tightly. I only agreed because of your girly scream." That earned him another punch. We both sat down on the grass.

"I told you to stop mentioning that. Besides, if I ever get called to be a tribute, everyone will know that I lied about my name and gender."

"I'm gonna laugh my head off, if some of the guys recognize you and try to convince the Peacekeepers that you are a guy." He pauses for a minute. "What will happen if you are called? What's your sister gonna do? You know she will never get the courage up to go."

"I know." I've been going back to the mayors house every once-in-a-while to visit Nerilla. The first time, she saw me in the backyard and ran out to hug me. She gave me some food and money to take home. Ever since then, I would go back every two weeks at the exact same time to see a big backpack filled with food, money, and some other necessities on the back porch. I tried to convince Crystal to go with me one time, and she almost had a panic-attack.

"I could always get it for her." Sometimes, he is just too nice to us.

"I can't let you do that. If someone saw you, they might think you are a thief and throw you in jail. My mother doesn't know any of our friends. It's too dangerous, especially if he caught you. You could be thrown out of the city."

"I'm more sneaky than I look, you know. Besides, if it meant Crystal was okay, then I would happily do it." I look at him questioningly. "If I didn't help take care of your other-half, when you came back, I'm sure you would beat me to a pulp." He winks at me. I start spacing out thinking about my sister. "He just winked at me with those beautiful green eyes that shine like emeralds. His hair, like a ravens feather; his voice as strong as a rushing river."

"What are you talking about?"

"Good, you're back from space, I presume?" I shove his arm.

"Shut up." I bring my knees up to my chest. "I hate Quarter Quells."

"I think just about everybody does. Everyone except the Capitol. Seriously, why do we even still have these games? It's been 100 years already. I think the districts have 'learned their lesson' by now. Do you remember what the 'special twist' is for this Quarter Quell?"

The Hunger Games usually stay the same. The only differences are the outfits and the terrains. Then come the Quarter Quells. Every 25 years, there is some special twist to the Games, like an anniversary. The 50th, there were 48 tributes. District twelve won that year. The 75th, the previous victors from the districts had to be tributes. That one was the most dramatic. District four won that one. "This year, there are two twists. One, there won't be a cornucopia; all of their supplies will be scattered around the terrain. Two, there will be a normal amount of tributes, but some contestants will be switched out right before the games begin, through a random drawing of all eligible district children. It's like you figure out who to avoid, who to make an alliance with, and things like that, then they switch out some of the players to absolutely confuse you. I don't want Crystal anywhere near the Capitol."

"What, are you going to volunteer like District 12 in 74?" He's teasing me, but he knows the answer.

"They have names, you know. I look up to Katniss. The way she wouldn't take anything from anybody, but she was still kind and caring. I would gladly volunteer for my sister, but she probably wouldn't let me." I look up at the clouds. One of them looks a bit like a butterfly. "Hey, look, girl. It's you, up in the clouds." She looks up and makes a grunting noise at the clouds. I start petting her main. "I know that's just your name, silly, but your as pretty as a butterfly too."

"You know, sometimes you scare me. I understand with your horses that you've grown up with, but you seem to know what every animal is thinking. It's like your a magic animal-whisperer." He starts looking around for something. "Let's test your skill, 'Oh mighty Blythe.' Tell me what kind of bird that is and what it's thinking about."

"Let's see, it's a cardinal. It's waiting for it's mate to come home to watch over their eggs."

"Woah, fine, is it a boy or a girl?"

I look back up, trying to remember the distinction between the two. "It has brownish feathers, so it's a female. The male has the bright red feathers."

"Just like you and me, huh? The female looks more like a male than the actual male does, and the male looks more like a female than the actual female does,"

"Sorry to crush your dreams, but you don't exactly look like a girl, Heath."

"Oh, how you wound me! I meant looking as in acting. Well, when it came to us anyway. If I were a cardinal, I would have the brightest coat of all!" He jumps up and starts making such exaggerated movements. "And you, my dull feathered cardinal, would have the dullest coat of all, but a heart of pure gold." He grabs my hands, stands me up, and begins to spin me around with him. He abruptly stops, and I fall flat on my back. It takes me awhile to catch my breath again. He looks up at the sky. "Well, I'll see you later." I guess I look confused because he says, "We need to go get ready for the Reaping, silly." He pulls me up. "Well, you are a bird in two ways. Your voice and your weight. You are as light as a feather, darling."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not, but I guess I won't hit you this time. Oh, and make sure that you wear the shirt Crystal made you. She's been feeling a bit scared about something lately. Probably, because I had to put my name in more times than before for tesserae. I need something to cheer her up."

"I will, if you answer my next question. How many?" I lift up both of my hands. "Ten, huh? Mine too. Ten strips of paper for District 10." My sister comes running up to us.

"Come on, Blythe, we need to go. I made you something special to wear today." With that, she drags me home with her. District 10 is a fair enough place to live. It's not District 1, but it's not District 11 or 12. We have a market square that, around the holidays, looks like a Christmas tree. We can get a lot of things there. My sister is really good at making clothes, so once-in-a-while we can sell them to someone in the square for extra money. We finally get home, and she holds up a dark brown dress with a dark green belt and green accents around the neckline. "It took me awhile to make but it's the best I could do." She hands the dress to me. I thought it would be heavy, but it is actually extremely light.

"Crystal, when did you have time to make this?"

"Well, whenever you would go out, or when you went to sleep. I worked on it in little segments, so you don't have to worry about me losing sleep. So, what do you think?"

I hug her as tight as I can. "I think it's absolutely wonderful."

She pushes me off of her, "Okay, if you do go, they'll have to deal with your death grip. All you have to do is just hug them to death. Don't try to break my ribs next time, okay? Now, go get dressed. If we're late, everyone will stare." I go to the tub in the other room. After getting clean, I head back to my room and put my new dress on. The dress comes up to my knees. It's a bit more revealing than I thought. Most of my upper-back is showing; some of it is covered up by a few dark green strings. I grab my dark green jacket. I slide on my black flats for special occasions, and she walks into my room. "If you're going to wear that jacket, then at least let me make it shorter." She grabs her scissors, and starts cutting away at the fabric.

After brushing my hair and letting it hang, she finally deems me ready. She's in a dark blue dress that comes down mid-calf. It has long sleeves and covers her back. "How come you didn't make yours as revealing as mine?"

"You never wear anything like this, and in one year, you won't have to anymore. After we turn 18, we won't have to worry about the Games anymore." She stands up and turns her back to me. "Can you brush my hair for me?"

"Okay." She doesn't have long hair, like I do, but it soothes her and makes us feel connected. I start brushing her hair. It was light blue before, that was it's natural color, but after we left home, we decided to die it black. "The dress was your present to me, right?" She nods her head. "Then, I guess I still have to give you your present." I reach into my pocket and hand her a box.

"This is so beautiful, Bly." It is a small black jewelry box with blue crystals all over the top. "How did you get this?"

"You're not the only one good at making things, Crys. It would be better if you opened it." She opens it and inside is a necklace of small, dark rope with a dark blue crystal. She stands there speechless. "I can't take the credit for this one, though. Heath made it for you." I hear the town clock telling us that it's one o'clock. I grab a piece of bread, break it in half, and hand the other half to Crystal for us to eat on the way to the Justice Building.

The Peacekeepers here aren't as strict as they could be. When there were a few traces of rebellion in the districts, we just kept working and doing what we were told. Some of the districts have turned their backs on us because we wouldn't fight. District 10 could practically live on our own if the Capitol didn't limit our supplies.

We get there and sign in. Sadly, we have to sign in with our real names. We o and stand in line with everyone else. We see Lotus and Septimus sit down on the stage. They are the mentors for our tributes. They are supposed to help us get sponsors and give us tips on how to survive the games. Soon after, our mayor and Nerilla take the stand. I feel Crystal's hand tense up. She is still scared to death of him. The mayor steps up to the stand and reads the Treaty of Treason. It's mandatory that the districts hear this same speech every year. Lotus struts up to the podium. "Hello, everyone! Today is that most glorious day; the day when we choose our tributes to represent District 10 in the Hunger Games! I wish you a Happy 100th Quarter Quell Hunger Games! Now, this is a very special games, there will be some tributes chosen who will be ejected out of the games before they start. The day before the games start, they will go back to the districts and choose someone else to replace them. This could give them an added bonus, or have them ultimately fail. If we are chosen, please do remember to pay as much attention as you can for all showings in your homes. Now, let's start with the young women first!" She reaches into the giant glass bowl assigned to all districts with all of our names in it. My name is in there ten times; my sister's name is in there six times. I want it to be anyone but her. She is extremely smart and crafty, but if she even got hit by a branch on her arm, she would probably start freaking out and going hysterical. Anyone but her, please. I don't want to lose my sister. Anyone, please. Lotus has said the name already. I missed it. Who is it? I notice everyone looking around. Everyone except Heath, Nerilla, and Crystal. Heath is staring at me in shock, Crystal is tearing up and on her knees, and Nerilla is looking me dead in the eye, a tear coming down her face. Wait, no one knows except those three people. Lotus says the name again.

"Blythe Amaryllis."


	2. Chapter 2

My feet understand what is happening before my brain does. My legs are already moving my body onto the platform next to Lotus. "Hello, dearest. Oh! Aren't you the daughter of our dearest mayor?" I try to keep my face as impassive as possible and nod. I see Nerilla start to cry. "Well, let's try to move this along so we do not have to see our beloved mayor's wife cry much longer." She reaches into the boy's glass bowl and pulls out a slip of paper. "Heath Beckham."

No! This can't be happening! This can absolutely not be happening right now! Heath walks up to the platform and stands next to me. I almost begin to cry. He notices and gives me a look that says, 'don't you dare cry!' "Let's have you two shake hands, shall we?" We shake hands and his hand gives mine a reassuring squeeze. "Now, let's give a big round of applause for this year's District 10 tributes!" Everyone begins to clap slowly, and we are moved into the Justice Building where we will see our families and friends for the last time. The entire room is a darkish-red color. There is a long couch, a love seat, a chandelier, a giant vanity mirror, and a giant wardrobe. Everything has the same swirly designs on it. It all begins to make me feel a bit dizzy.

The first person to visit me is my sister. She walks in and is looking at the floor. I can see the tear stains on her face. "I guess now, they really do have to deal with your death grip, huh? I can't help thinking that this is all just a bad dream. I don't know what I'm going to do without you being here. Both you and Heath are leaving me. Make sure you stay with him. Ever since 74 they kept that new rule about two tributes from one district, so, maybe both you and Heath can come back." She looks up at me with a pleading look in her eyes.

"I will, I promise. Now, if you don't want to, you don't have to, but it would be in your best interest to try to get the backpack. If you truly think that you aren't able to, then you will have to make a bit more clothes and sell them. There's more of a risk with that though. He could still see you there, or you could end up losing money because you are too generous. You must be as tough as possible when selling your clothes. They are made of good quality and beautiful design. You could easily make a lot of money on them if you would just put your foot down."

She puts her hands on her hips. "Why are you talking to me about selling my clothes, now, of all times?"

"You will survive better without me and Heath if you have more money and are extremely careful with it. When it comes to food, only eat until you don't feel hungry anymore. You will save more money and more food that way. We are going to run out of your hair dye soon, so save some money to pay for more or to buy a wig."

One of the Peacekeepers walks in and tells us that our time is up. She hugs me and says, "I'll be fine, you just try to survive." After that, she leaves me to stand there, where I am already worrying about my little sister. The Peacekeeper walks back in with a man in hand and leaves him in here with me. I am frozen when I see who it is. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"I never thought that you, of all people, would visit me, Mr. Mayor." He clicks his tung and moves his hand toward my neck. "Oh, so you're going to hurt a tribute when there are Peacekeepers right outside the door? That's not exactly your smartest move." He puts his hand back down.

"Oh well, you already gave me some leverage, today." I look at him confused. "I now know who your family and friends are. All I have to do is look back at the footage from today and look through the crowd to see the people reacting to your name." He leaves with an evil look in his eyes. The Peacekeeper brings Nerilla in next.

"Oh, my darling little girl, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you okay, Nerilla?" She puts her hands on my face and nods. "Nerilla, please watch over my sister."

"I will, that was never a question."

"No, he said that he was going to look back at the footage to see my family and friends. You can't let him do anything. Please, Nerilla!" I begin to cry. She puts her finger on my lips to quite me.

"I will, on one condition. You can't keep calling me Nerilla, that's too formal for your mother."

"I'm sorry, I guess - I don't know, I just can't explain it. Okay, then, I will miss you, mother."

"I will miss you too, Blythe. Before I leave, I have something to give you." She holds out a necklace. It is a small black rope with a wooden heart and black-and-white swirled beads on it. "This is what my best friend gave me when I was a tribute. I was 18, and I won by knowing the basic survival needs and making an alliance with some of the tributes. One of the bad things that happened to me was also the best. I fell in love with one of my fellow tributes, he protected me with his life. Maybe, it will give you the extra luck you will need to survive this." She puts the necklace around my neck and gives me a hug. At that moment, the Peacekeepers come in and lead her out of the room. That was the last person to visit me. I dry my tears by the time we reach the train station. There are an extreme amount of reporters and camera-people. Lotus ushers both Heath and I into the train.

"Alright, you two, be ready for dinner in an hour. Don't be late." She is a lot more harsh than she seemed earlier. We each have our own rooms that have a bedroom, private bathrooms with hot and cold water, and our own dressing area. When I step into the shower, there is a big panel with a lot of different buttons on it. Apparently, I do not understand the panel because I press a button, and I am sprayed with freezing cold water. I press the one above it, and I am sprayed with warm water. There is a dial next to it to change the heat. I finally get the hang of it, although, it takes a bit longer than expected. When I get out, I walk over to the wardrobe. This one is more technical than the one at the Justice Building. There are a bunch of outfits behind this glass door. I look around for a handle but all I see is a little box on the wall to my right. I put my hand on the box, and it lights up. It shows me a bunch of different outfits. I pick a black T-shirt with a red heart on it, a pair of black shorts that come to my knees, black boots, and some red bracelets. I put my necklace back on and go to the dining car. When I get there, Lotus has her arms and legs crossed and is looking at me sternly. "Finally! Do you even know how late you are!?"

"I-I'm sorry. It took me awhile to figure out the buttons on the shower and closet." I look around and notice that we are the only ones in the room, other than a couple of avoxes.

She notices my confused face, and her expression softens a little bit. "Yes, the other two aren't here. Septimus came before it was time and ate himself sick. It seems your friend is having trouble with the shower and closet too." She actually laughs a little. "Sorry, if I seem a bit on edge. This is my last year as a mentor, so I want everything to be absolutely perfect. I don't want it to seem like I slacked off on my last year, so do try to be on time from now on." We sit in comfortable silence for a minute of two, then she speaks again. "Okay, he is your friend, so you may go check on him, if you wish." I nod and head off towards Heath's room.

I knock on the door. He doesn't answer. I knock again, a little harder and louder. Still, no answer. "Heath?" Silence. "Heath, is everything okay?" You could hear a pin drop. I try to turn the knob and notice that it is unlocked. My mind flashes back to what the Mayor said about my friends and family. I burst through the door to see Heath in a surprising state.


	3. Chapter 3

Heath is just standing there looking out the window, without a shirt on and his hair still soaking wet. He turns around and sees me and smirks. "Like what you see?" My face heats up, and I walk over towards his bed. I grab a pillow and throw it at his face.

"Shut up, Heath! You didn't answer the door. You didn't even make a sound. Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought something terrible happened to you, you jerk!" He just looks at me stunned.

"What do you think would've happened to me in that short time?"

"It's been over an hour since we went to our separate rooms, Heath. A lot can happen in an hour."

"Like what?" I stop. I can't tell him. If I tell him he might worry. He doesn't need to be even more worried about our lives than he already is.

"N-nothing, never mind. Forget I said anything." He looks at me like he doesn't believe me but decides not to push me. I start walking towards the door when he grabs my hand.

"Before you leave, can you show me how to work the closet? I don't see a handle anywhere." I laugh a little and dry his hair with his towel.

"Okay, but we need to hurry. Lotus is a lot scarier than she looks. She nearly bit my head off when I was late for dinner." I show him how to use the panel, and he picks himself out an outfit. He grabs a black hat from the closet and hands it to me "What's this for?"

"I know you hate walking around without your hair being brushed, and you can't do it yourself. Wear this until after dinner, and I will brush your hair." I put it on and we walk out to the dining car.

"Are you both ready to eat now?" We all sit down and begin to eat. There is a lot of different types of seafood on the table. All of the ones that still have a shell on look like they are going to eat me, so I just grab different types of fish and some shrimp. There are also some different vegetables, so I pick a few different beans and some corn. There are some different soups or sauces in these shiny bowls. I take a spoonful of one that is a funny kind of purple. It tastes absolutely amazing so I pour it on everything on my plate. "Do you both understand the showers and closets now?" We both nod because it is extremely rude to talk with food in your mouth. "Good, then I hope we will be on time from now on. I'm sorry to say that you will not be seeing your mentor until the morning. I will personally make sure that he does not eat earlier than he is supposed to from now on. He will teach you everything you need to know about the Games. Now, let's finish our dinner so that we may go to sleep and be well rested for tomorrow, shall we?" She stands up from the table, and walks toward her room. We stay there and eat a little more until we can't eat another bite. We walk off towards Heath's room.

"So, ready to help me with this mess called my hair?" He laughs and sits on his bed. I grab a chair and sit it in front of him. I sit down, take off my hat, and let my hair hang off of the back of the chair. He goes to the vanity next to the closet and picks up a brush. He sits back down and begins brushing my hair in gentle, even strokes. "Thank you for this, Heath."

"No problem." We sit there in silence for a few minutes until he speaks again. "Are you okay?"

I'm a bit surprised to hear that. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you think I wouldn't be fine?"

"You are speaking softer than you usually do. You are usually extremely boisterous and loud." He looks at me with concern evident on his face.

I sigh. "Sorry, I just really miss my sister, you know?" He looks like he believes me but knows that's not the only thing bothering me. "Why do you have to know absolutely everything about me?"

He laughs. "That's the Blythe that I know. So, what else is bothering you?" I tell him about what happened with the mayor. He stays silent while I speak.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier." He shakes his head.

"It's okay. You probably just didn't want me to worry about something extra while we were here, right?" I nod my head. "There's one thing that needs to change though. You need to tell me everything, from now on, alright? It doesn't matter if you think it would make me worry. I only worry because you're my best friend, and I care about you too much to let you deal with this on your own." I nod my head. There is silence for a few more minutes.

"Hey, Heath?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, I wanted to know who came to see you after the reaping. You don't have to tell me, I was just curious."

He looks a bit saddened. "My father and my little brother came to see me. He told me that I had to be strong. He told me not to accept any help from a girl, even if she was from the same district. He's such a jerk sometimes. My little brother came in after that and told me not to worry about what dad said. He told me that I should just do whatever I felt was right. He's pretty smart for a seven-year-old." He finishes braiding my hair down my back. "All finished. Now, when you wake up, it will be somewhat curly. Aren't I just a genius?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that." He looks annoyed at me. "Well, would you rather have me lie? No, I don't think so. So, I bid you good night, my bright feathered cardinal!"

"And a good night to you, my dull feathered cardinal. May your dreams be ever in your favor." I laugh a bit and head off towards my room.

Sleep doesn't come to me easily. When it finally comes, it is nothing but nightmares. Nightmares of me dieing, of my sister dieing and being tortured, and of Heath dieing. The worst one was of the mayor torturing my sister while she watches both Heath and I dieing. I wake up screaming for that one. I stay up for awhile, trying to get those dreams out of my head, but it's no use. I get up and walk out to the dining car, hoping to get a glass of water to calm my nerves. "What are you doing out here?"

I turn to see a man in a shiny, green suit. He has long, pale blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Who are you?" The man sighs and walks toward the winnow.

"It's a shame you don't even know you're own mentor. I'm Septimus, and just who might you be? You're obviously not an avox, so you must be one of the tributes."

"My name is Blythe. I just came down here to get some water." He walks over to an avox, tells her, and she brings me water in the most beautiful cup I've ever seen. "Thanks." She walks away, not even saying a word to me.

"You're having nightmares, aren't you?" I silently, nod my head 'yes.' "Most tributes do on the first night. That's why the capitol had the ingenious idea to make all the walls and doors soundproof. That's why your little friend didn't answer you. He didn't even know you were there."

"That makes much more sense. I never asked. What are you doing here this late?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "The same thing as you. I just don't need it for nightmares. I ate too early, so my throat tried to get revenge in the middle of the night. Lotus came and yelled at me, so, apparently, I will be joining you for breakfast." He stood up from his chair. "Well, I guess it's time I go to sleep. You try to go back to sleep. We can't have an exhausted tribute before the games have even begun, now can we? Goodnight, Blythe."


End file.
